Suggests seven reasons for parents to beware of popular commercial phonics programs designed to give their children a competitive edge in learning to read. Discusses what parents can do to promote their children's efforts to learn to read. (BB)

Five strategies to support young adults with disabilities who are making the transition into adulthood include (1) encouraging parents to have early expectations for community life; (2) helping parents realize the importance of their role; (3) helping parents honor their children's choices; (4) involving social support networks; and (5) addressing…

Examines perceptions of 100 female and 109 male college students concerning different patterns of maternal employment and child rearing. A continuously employed mother was seen as less communal and was less positively evaluated than a mother who interrupted employment or a nonemployed mother. Discussion focuses on social role theory. (SLD)

America's public education system has inadequately prepared its youth for the workplace. Parents can play a role in solving this problem by spending time with their children, carefully choosing day care facilities, becoming involved in their children's education, rewarding good performance, and stressing values. (BC)

Describes a study of families with microcomputers that was conducted to determine the extent to which children used their home microcomputers for learning school subjects. Content analysis of log material is discussed, three specific case studies are presented, and reasons for the absence of home academic microcomputing by children are suggested.…

Discusses the lack of parent involvement in education. Discusses both parent and teacher attitudes toward parent involvement, and considers the advantages and disadvantages of parent involvement. Presents examples of effective ways to use parental help, including help from working parents and family influence during out-of-school time. (JS)

This overview of research on the problems and concerns of parents of gifted and talented children highlights six key areas: family roles and adaptations, sibling relationships, parental self-concept, neighborhood and community issues, educational issues, and development of the child. (Author/JDD)

Unstructured comments of 509 parents of students in regular, resource, and self-contained classrooms regarding homework, tests, and grades revealed 8 broad themes: complaints, traditional beliefs about education, alternative beliefs about education, communication issues, beliefs about involvement, stress factors, involvement dependent on child…

Describes a teachers' focus group devoted to informing parents about their reading programs and emergent literacy practices. Describes development and use of a home-based literacy inventory to raise awareness of emerging literacy in routine activities. Discusses demonstration of the educational philosophy and instructional practice of emergent…

Describes a school-based family-literacy program initiated by a first-grade teacher in an inner-city school. Describes how joint parent/child classroom activities and parent/teacher discussion sessions (1) provided opportunities for parents to explore their own and their children's uses of literacy; (2) increased their knowledge of literacy…

Explores the relationship between supportive communication and school outcomes for two groups of lower socioeconomic high school students: those identified as "at-risk" of poor school performance, and those not identified as "at-risk." Finds that parents are major sources of social support for both groups of students; however, at-risk students…

Describes the development of the practices and perspectives of one elementary school teacher as she engaged in teacher-as-researcher methodology in both urban and suburban settings. Documents how the teacher-as-researcher began to explore science inquiry in an elementary setting and how students, parents, and educators became co-learners,…

Examines reasons behind very low attendance of fathers at primary level family literacy events in Great Britain. Discusses rapid social and demographic changes, the sex- segregated power structure in education, the gendered nature of parental involvement in education, and the nature of family literacy events. Concludes that the environment of…

Offers tips for parents to help maximize the educational benefits of a trip to a science and technology center. (WRM)

Investigated the influence of child intellectual/adaptive functioning and maternal sensitivity on attachment security, using a sample of children with Down syndrome. Found a relationship between attachment security in DS related to the interaction of maternal sensitivity and cognitive competence. (JPB)